Muslims around the world will be celebrating the Eid-ul-Adha holiday next week. Muslims celebrate two great festivals every year. I mentioned Eid-ul-Fitr before which follows the month of Ramadan. The second one is Eid-ul-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, celebrated by Muslims around the world at the end of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
The underlying importance of this festival is the spirit of sacrifice in memory of Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) great act of submission. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son is regarded as an example of genuine surrender to the will of God. Prophet Ibrahim was asked by God to sacrifice his first-born son Ismail to proof his obedience to God’s command. God intervened to provide Abraham with a lamb to sacrifice instead. During the celebration of Eid al-Adha, Muslims remember Abraham’s trials by slaughtering an animal such as a goat, sheep, cow, or camel. The meat is then distributed to family, friends, and to the poor and needy. Eid-ul-Adha is also a time for Muslims to learn the value of self-control and make a resolution to practice for betterment. For example giving up a bad habit or adopting a new ritual however big or small these acts maybe.
It is very important to mention that the true meaning of sacrifice has nothing to do with compensating for our sins or using the blood to wash ourselves from sin.
“It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him.” (Qur’an 22:37)
Because wealthy and able Muslims are required to sacrifice an animal and distribute the meat amongst the poor and friends, family, there is a surge of meat dishes in Muslim families around the festival time. My mom often made this kofta curry for Eid. The succulent meatballs are great as is but they score extra points in the luxurious gravy. Mom pan-fried the koftas but I bake them to make the dish healthier and less time consuming, leaving me free time to gather the other ingredients for the curry while the meatballs are baking in the oven. The koftas can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer. Just thaw and make the curry if you are in a time crunch.
- For Kofta
- 2 lb of ground beef, chicken or turkey
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 egg
- 3-4 green chili, chopped
- 1 cup onions, finely minced and liquid discarded
- 1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 pieces of bread
- Salt according to taste
- Spray oil or 1 tablespoon oil to brush on kofta
- For curry:
- 3 tablespoon yogurt
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 cup onion, sliced
- 3-4 green cardamom
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks, each about one inches long
- 1-2 bay leaf
- 2-3 green chili, slit lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Salt according to taste
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Steps to make kofta:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a baking tray with spray oil or by brushing some oil. Set aside.
- Mix all ingredients and shape into golf ball size kofta.
- Place the kofta gently on the tray and bake about 20-22 minutes turning once.
- Steps to make kofta curry:
- Beat yogurt to a smooth consistency. Set aside.
- Heat oil in medium high and add onions.
- Add cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the ginger and garlic paste, green chili and salt and sugar.
- Add a cup of water little by little and the beaten yogurt.
- Add the koftas in the gravy and lower the heat to medium low.
- Cover and cook until desired consistency.
- Garnish with cilantro.
Make sure the kafta does not stick to the tray. You may use an aluminum foil sheet to cover the tray to avoid sticking.
You may add more water if you like more gravy for your curry.
A variation of the curry can be prepared by adding tomatoes to the curry instead of yogurt.
রেসিপি: কোপ্তা কারি
উপকরণ :
২ পাউণ্ড গরুর মাংসের কিমা
১ চা চামচ রসুন পেস্ট
১ চা চামচ আদা পেস্ট
১/২ চা চামচ গরম মশলা
১টি ডিম
৩-৪ টি কাঁচা মরিচ, কুচি কুচি কাটা
১ কাপ পেঁয়াজ, কুচি কুচি কাটা
১ কাপ ধনে পাতা, কুচি কুচি কাটা
২ টেবিল চামচ লেবুর রস
২ পিস পাউরুটি
স্বাদ অনুযায়ী লবণ
স্প্রে তেল বা ১ টেবিল চামচ তেল, কোপ্তার উপর ব্রাশ করার জন্য
কারির উপকরন:
৩ টেবিল চামচ দই
৩ টেবিল চামচ তেল
১ কাপ পেঁয়াজ, স্লাইস
৩-৪টি ছোটো এলাচ
২-৩ টি দারুচিনি, প্রতিটি প্রায় এক ইঞ্চি লম্বা
১-২টি তেজপাতা
২-৩ টি কাঁচা মরিচ
১ চা চামচ রসুন পেস্ট
১/২ চা চামচ আদা পেস্ট
ধনে পাতা
স্বাদ অনুযায়ী লবণ
১/২ চা চামচ চিনি
কোপ্তা প্রস্তত প্রণালী:
১. ওভেন ৩৫০ ডিগ্রী ফারেনহাইটে প্রিহিট করুন।
২. স্প্রে তেল বা ব্রাশ দিয়ে কিছু তেল একটি বেকিং ট্রেতে মেখে রাখুন।
৩. কোপ্তার সব উপাদানগুলো একসাথে ভালভাবে মাখিয়ে নিয়ে গল্ফ বল সাইজের কোপ্তা তৈরী করে বেকিং ট্রেতে আলতো করে রাখুন।
৪. ২০-২২ মিনিট বেক করুন। মাঝে কোপ্তা একবার উল্টিয়ে দিবেন।
কারি প্রস্তত প্রণালী:
১. দই মসৃণ করে ফেটে রাখুন।
২. মাঝারি উচ্চ তাপে তেলে পেঁয়াজ ভাজুন।
৩. ছোটো এলাচ, দারুচিনি এবং তেজপাতা দিয়ে ২-৩ মিনিট ভেজে নিন।
৪. আদা এবং রসুন পেস্ট, কঁাচা মরিচ, লবণ ও চিনি দিন।
৫. দই দিয়ে এক কাপ পানি আস্তে আস্তে দিন।
৬. কোপ্তা ঝোলে দিয়ে ঢাকনা দিন ও চুলার আঁচ কমিয়ে দিন।
৭. ঝোল পছন্দসই পর্যায় টেনে আসলে নামিয়ে নিন।
৮. ধনে পাতা দিয়ে সাজিয়ে পরিবেশন করুন।
প্রয়োজনিও কিছু টিপস্ এর জনে্য দয়াকরে আটির্কেল অথবা ইংরেজি রেসিপির নোট সেকশনটা একটু দেখে নেবেন।
[/print_this]
Scrumptious dish! I could start eating meat again 🙂
Thank you, Daniela.
Ohh just made these the other day 🙂
I hope you enjoyed every bit of them. Thank you, Francesca.
Can’t wait to get some free time to try this!
Hope you get to try. Eid Mubarak. What happened to your blog. I can’t access it?
its still there at http://www.theengineeredbaker.blogspot,com but the sad thing is that between balancing school and work, I have no time for it any more 🙁
I hope you get to find some time to restart blogging, sometimes, once other responsibilities are under control.
Scrumptious meat ball!! I had a friend who always used to bring these in her lunch during Eid, and boy, we went crazy after it. Eid Mubarak!!
Thank you for the Eid wishes. These are really so delicious that anyone who tasted them would go crazy over them 🙂 Thanks a ton.
So I’ve learnt something new today as I’ve only ever heard of the big holiday to celebrate the end of Ramadan. I really like the sound of these koftas in their yogurt sauce – I normally make mine with a tomato base so this would be a nice change.
I am so glad that you liked learning about Eid Ul Adha. Yes, there are other Islamic celebrations besides Ramadan and the post Ramadan Eid Ul Fitre. Thank you so much for stopping by.
I’m so glad it’s meatball weather again…I just adore them! And your curry version sounds amazing!
The kofta curry is great with rice or bread and tastes delicious. Thank you, Liz.
I love this classic dish but love your addition of the story behind this holiday. Have a restful day and take care, BAM
Glad you loved the story behind Eid Ul Adha. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing. Lovely post.
Thanks.
I love kofta. Or any meatball type food, really. Love the curry flavoring – I’ll bet these are wonderful. Thanks so much.
These are really wonderful. Meatballs are the best! Thank you.
I know. who doesn’t love koftas, right? Thank you, John.
Gorgeous koftas. This dish would be a big hit at my place. Will try it out for sure.
Thanks a lot, Ashmita. I would love to know when you make it. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for explaining Eid to me! I love reading about religious and cultural customs 😀 This curry looks lovely and rich in flavour!
Glad you enjoyed learning about Eid-ul-Adha, Lorraine. The curry is a favorite of mine too. Thank you.
Hope its not too late to wish u Eid Mubarak Lail! Hope u had lovely time with family, and this looks like a keeper:-)
No it’s not, Jehanne. We are still on the 3rd day of Eid. Hope you had a great one surrounded by family and friends.
We had koftas for dinner today– this looks so comforting and festive 🙂
Eid Mubarak my friend!
Thank you for the Eid wishes, Kiran. The kofta curry is festive and comforting at the same time.
Belated Eid Mubarak! I have been missing from the blogosphere for several months and not keeping up with posts by bloggers I follow, so I missed this one.
Baking the koftas certainly takes away half the pain of preparing a kofta curry. This way, I could make a huge batch and then that what’s necessary. Thank you for sharing your technique & this useful tip!
Thank you for the Eid wishes and your lovely comment.
I loooove koftas, and yours sound particularly delicious, with that tasty spice combination! Although I regularly bake my burgers, I’ve not baked meatballs before, fearing they would dry out. Will definitely give this a try! Interesting reading about Eid-ul-Adha.
You are totally right, the meatballs are a little drier than the ones pan fried if you were to serve as is. However, considering the health benefit(less oil) and the time the dish saves, a busy mom like me still prefers baking the meatballs. Then again, when the koftas are cooked in the curry sauce, the dryness disappears. Thank you for stopping by. Hope to get to know you better in the coming days.
Those meatballs look super lush. Happy Eid-ul-Adha.
Thank you! The meatballs are very delicious. One of my family favorite.
Love this post. Love meat in general, and these meatballs look really delicious.
Glad to hear. Hope you get to try the recipe sometimes. Thank you!